Boston sits at Laugavegur 28b in central Reykjavik, a stylish late night bar with vintage decor, draft beer, cocktails and a pool table on the top floor.
The bar runs as a two level room on the main shopping street, built around a long counter, a DJ booth and a relaxed crowd that builds late. Anyone who wants a downtown night with character finds the format easy. Anyone after a bright, early drink looks elsewhere.
Boston has held its place among the downtown regulars on Laugavegur, and Vogue Scandinavia includes it in a rundown of the best bars in the city. The interior is the draw the guides return to, with brown walls, soft lighting, mirrors, mosaics and antique furniture that read more like a living room than a club. That worn, designed look is the identity the place trades on.
The drinks list runs from draft beer to cocktails, with a happy hour the guides single out as one of the better value windows on the street. Guide to Iceland and My Guide Reykjavik both flag the happy hour and the music as the reasons to come. First time visitors are steered toward a beer during the early hours before the room fills.
The space splits over two floors, with the main bar below and a top floor that holds a pool table for an extra fee. The seating is built for sitting and staying rather than standing room only. The layout gives a quieter corner upstairs when the counter gets busy.
DJs handle the music most nights, leaning on a mix of jazz, older records and newer finds rather than a club set. The crowd is a downtown mix of locals and visitors that thickens after midnight on weekends. The energy moves from calm to busy as the night runs on, and the room runs latest on Friday and Saturday.
Regulars on Google Maps and the city guides flag two points: the happy hour is the reason to arrive early, and the upstairs is the seat to ask for. Locals treat it as a dependable downtown stop rather than a destination cocktail den. The vintage room and the late hours are the draw they name most.
Boston works for a downtown night that starts on the cheap, a relaxed drink with character, and a late weekend that runs past midnight. It is the wrong call for a quiet, early evening or a polished cocktail focus.
Laugavegur runs through the centre of Reykjavik, walkable from most of the 101 district, with the bar open into the early hours on weekends. The room runs late, so it suits a night that builds rather than an early finish. Arriving during happy hour is the easiest way to see it at its best.
The bottom line is a downtown late bar with a vintage room and a value happy hour, set apart by its character and its place on the main street. For a relaxed Reykjavik night with a late finish it is a clear call. Compare it against the rest of our best cocktail bars in Reykjavik guide, the wider list of bars in Reykjavik, and our roundup of late night bars in Reykjavik. Drinkers after more of the same should weigh Kaffibarinn and Prikid.
Sources: Vogue Scandinavia bar guide; Guide to Iceland; My Guide Reykjavik; Foursquare tips; Google Maps reviews.
